Christmas Day turned deadly in rural Oklahoma when a mother relaxing on her porch was struck and killed by a stray bullet fired by a neighbor doing target practice in his backyard.
Authorities say 33-year-old Cody Adams has been charged with first-degree manslaughter after a round from his new handgun traveled across a property line and struck Sandra Phelps, 52, in the chest as she sat holding a young child outside her home.
“She just said ‘ouch’ and collapsed,” one witness told investigators, according to the arrest affidavit. “We thought maybe she was joking until we saw the blood.”
Adams admitted to deputies that he was testing out his brand-new Glock .45-caliber pistol—a Christmas present to himself. He had been shooting at a Red Bull can on the ground, unaware that his bullets were sailing well beyond his property.
“There was no backstop. Nothing behind his target to stop a round,” the affidavit noted. “A piece of broken ceramic tile near the target likely caused the bullet’s ricochet.”
Phelps’ family told deputies they’d been sitting outside enjoying the mild December afternoon when the shots rang out. She reportedly joked moments earlier that “someone must’ve gotten a new gun for Christmas.”
Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney called the shooting “a heartbreaking and completely preventable tragedy.”
“This wasn’t some freak accident,” McKinney said. “It was negligence. You can’t shoot into the open without a backstop and assume nobody’s in harm’s way.”
Investigators recovered spent shell casings and confirmed the bullet’s steep downward angle matched the trajectory from Adams’ backyard.
When told his round had likely caused Phelps’ death, Adams reportedly broke down and said, “I’m sorry.”
Adams appeared in court on Friday and was released on $100,000 bond, court records show. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Phelps’ family is now left grappling with the senseless loss. “It’s unreal,” said her sister, Denise Rogers. “You don’t expect to lose someone sitting on their porch on Christmas Day. She was just holding her grandbaby.”
Authorities say the investigation remains open as they await final ballistic testing results.
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I’m 100% 2nd amendment, but you don’t do practice shooting in a neighborhood back yard. You go somewhere where it can be done safely. It’s this kind of thing that the progressive anti everything crowd just love to see happen. This shooter obviously doesn’t have his head screwed on correctly.